diff --git a/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c b/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c
index 5c543573a81f046f88c1c1d2f5c9715151fad2ab..7e3fa1a621e8fd0a0bdd6f84ef0c00e1f9c58bad 100644
--- a/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c
+++ b/board/freescale/mpc8308rdb/mpc8308rdb.c
@@ -24,18 +24,56 @@
 #include <common.h>
 #include <hwconfig.h>
 #include <i2c.h>
+#include <spi.h>
 #include <libfdt.h>
 #include <fdt_support.h>
 #include <pci.h>
 #include <mpc83xx.h>
 #include <vsc7385.h>
 #include <netdev.h>
+#include <fsl_esdhc.h>
 #include <asm/io.h>
 #include <asm/fsl_serdes.h>
 #include <asm/fsl_mpc83xx_serdes.h>
 
 DECLARE_GLOBAL_DATA_PTR;
 
+/*
+ * The following are used to control the SPI chip selects for the SPI command.
+ */
+#ifdef CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI
+
+#define SPI_CS_MASK	0x00400000
+
+int spi_cs_is_valid(unsigned int bus, unsigned int cs)
+{
+	return bus == 0 && cs == 0;
+}
+
+void spi_cs_activate(struct spi_slave *slave)
+{
+	immap_t *immr = (immap_t *)CONFIG_SYS_IMMR;
+
+	/* active low */
+	clrbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dat, SPI_CS_MASK);
+}
+
+void spi_cs_deactivate(struct spi_slave *slave)
+{
+	immap_t *immr = (immap_t *)CONFIG_SYS_IMMR;
+
+	/* inactive high */
+	setbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dat, SPI_CS_MASK);
+}
+#endif /* CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI */
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_FSL_ESDHC
+int board_mmc_init(bd_t *bd)
+{
+	return fsl_esdhc_mmc_init(bd);
+}
+#endif
+
 static u8 read_board_info(void)
 {
 	u8 val8;
@@ -109,6 +147,25 @@ void pci_init_board(void)
 */
 int misc_init_r(void)
 {
+#ifdef CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI
+	immap_t *immr = (immap_t *)CONFIG_SYS_IMMR;
+	sysconf83xx_t *sysconf = &immr->sysconf;
+
+	/*
+	 * Set proper bits in SICRH to allow SPI on header J8
+	 *
+	 * NOTE: this breaks the TSEC2 interface, attached to the Vitesse
+	 * switch. The pinmux configuration does not have a fine enough
+	 * granularity to support both simultaneously.
+	 */
+	clrsetbits_be32(&sysconf->sicrh, SICRH_GPIO_A_TSEC2, SICRH_GPIO_A_GPIO);
+	puts("WARNING: SPI enabled, TSEC2 support is broken\n");
+
+	/* Set header J8 SPI chip select output, disabled */
+	setbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dir, SPI_CS_MASK);
+	setbits_be32(&immr->gpio[0].dat, SPI_CS_MASK);
+#endif
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_VSC7385_IMAGE
 	if (vsc7385_upload_firmware((void *) CONFIG_VSC7385_IMAGE,
 		CONFIG_VSC7385_IMAGE_SIZE)) {
@@ -124,6 +181,7 @@ void ft_board_setup(void *blob, bd_t *bd)
 {
 	ft_cpu_setup(blob, bd);
 	fdt_fixup_dr_usb(blob, bd);
+	fdt_fixup_esdhc(blob, bd);
 }
 #endif
 
diff --git a/drivers/spi/mpc8xxx_spi.c b/drivers/spi/mpc8xxx_spi.c
index 44ab39dd3ff622b5d6d17c81cd1e6b89e4b0f0d4..4e46041dfff5df76c98561d161daa4a13790acd5 100644
--- a/drivers/spi/mpc8xxx_spi.c
+++ b/drivers/spi/mpc8xxx_spi.c
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@ int spi_xfer(struct spi_slave *slave, unsigned int bitlen, const void *dout,
 		 * len > 16               0
 		 */
 
+		spi->mode &= ~SPI_MODE_EN;
+
 		if (bitlen <= 16) {
 			if (bitlen <= 4)
 				spi->mode = (spi->mode & 0xff0fffff) |
@@ -138,6 +140,8 @@ int spi_xfer(struct spi_slave *slave, unsigned int bitlen, const void *dout,
 			dout += 4;
 		}
 
+		spi->mode |= SPI_MODE_EN;
+
 		spi->tx = tmpdout;	/* Write the data out */
 		debug("*** spi_xfer: ... %08x written\n", tmpdout);
 
diff --git a/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h b/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h
index 7f2761c5391f2b72ab5d64930bb1d646dcb18664..2d48dde808478b71646549a6d37a4d3133eb9a2b 100644
--- a/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h
+++ b/include/configs/MPC8308RDB.h
@@ -37,6 +37,24 @@
 
 #define CONFIG_MISC_INIT_R
 
+/* new uImage format support */
+#define CONFIG_FIT			1
+#define CONFIG_FIT_VERBOSE		1
+
+#define CONFIG_MMC     1
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_MMC
+#define CONFIG_FSL_ESDHC
+#define CONFIG_SYS_FSL_ESDHC_ADDR	CONFIG_SYS_MPC83xx_ESDHC_ADDR
+#define CONFIG_SYS_FSL_ERRATUM_ESDHC111
+#define CONFIG_SYS_FSL_ESDHC_USE_PIO
+
+#define CONFIG_CMD_MMC
+#define CONFIG_GENERIC_MMC
+#define CONFIG_CMD_FAT
+#define CONFIG_DOS_PARTITION
+#endif
+
 /*
  * On-board devices
  *
@@ -340,6 +358,19 @@
 #define CONFIG_SYS_I2C_OFFSET	0x3000
 #define CONFIG_SYS_I2C2_OFFSET	0x3100
 
+/*
+ * SPI on header J8
+ *
+ * WARNING: enabling this will break TSEC2 (connected to the Vitesse switch)
+ * due to a pinmux conflict between GPIO9 (SPI chip select )and the TSEC2 pins.
+ */
+#ifdef CONFIG_MPC8XXX_SPI
+#define CONFIG_CMD_SPI
+#define CONFIG_USE_SPIFLASH
+#define CONFIG_SPI_FLASH
+#define CONFIG_SPI_FLASH_SPANSION
+#define CONFIG_CMD_SF
+#endif
 
 /*
  * Board info - revision and where boot from